The Dark Knight of Elmore
by Silent echo33
Summary: After a mysterious masked man proposes a deadly contest to all of Elmore, the city is thrust into chaos. Only 1 person can stop this madness. Will he be able to do it? Can Gumball become the Dark Knight of Elmore?
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

**The Dark Knight of Elmore**

Chapter 1: The Beginning

Disclaimer: this story draws inspiration from multiple batman interpretations, to which I'm sure people know I don't own. Also might reference other works to which I once again don't own.

"I can be scary!" "Sorry Dad but no. You are not and will never be scary. The only time you were even remotely scary was when you acted like you were about to kill us." This was the argument that was taking between Richard Watterson and his family inside of the kitchen of the Watterson residence. The dispute started when everyone at the table were swapping stories about weird new crimes around the city. It was when Richard made an offhand comment about how he could be running the city that the family burst into laughter. He made up excuse after excuse as to why he could do it, but sadly everyone just couldn't believe that somebody like Richard had it in him.

"It's true! I could run this entire city if I wanted. I'd be the best criminal there ever was!" Richard proclaimed, leaping atop the table to prove his point. His execution was off though, sending him plummeting to the floor. "Maybe you should start your conquest with the circus first!" Gumball suggested, sending everyone, save Richard, into a burst of laughter. Everyone laughed harder as Richard sat up in anger, brushing off some spaghetti that covered his shoulders. Before anyone could apologize, the man stormed off upstairs in a temper.

"Do you think we were too harsh on him? I mean we've been pranking him for like like what, eight days straight. Remember what happened the last time we did something like this?" Darwin said guiltily. "Trust me; he's gonna be even angrier than last time when he sees the surprise I left for him in the bathroom." As Gumball stated this, painful cries accompanied by loud snapping could be heard coming from the bathroom.

"Gumball you've gone too far! You go apologize to your father right now!" Nicole shouted. "Come on mom, the man's a living joke. He'll get over it. I bet he's laughing it off right now." Gumball was rewarded for his comment with a well aimed meatball, which sent him rocketing from his chair.

"Gumball Tristopher Watterson! You are grounded for the rest of this month!" "But mom!" "No ifs, ands, or buts. Now go to your room." Nicole shouted again, picking up another meatball of doom. It wasn't necessary though because Gumball sped upstairs before she could get an angle.

Despite how hateful the comment sounded, Gumball was right. Richard really was laughing off the incident. Just not in a healthy manner. "They think I can't run this town? They think I'm not scary? Oh I bet I could cause all sorts of chaos," the man looked down at the lobsters covering his arms and the little sticky note on the bathroom mirror. It said 'Cheers!' accompanied by a troll face. "In fact, I would prank everyone in this city so badly that everyone would think I'm scary! Then they wouldn't laugh at me! Then they would fear and respect me!" And with that, Richard let out a crazed laugh that echoed throughout the house.

"Richard stop cackling! Everyone can here it from down here!" Nicole shouted upstairs, completely silencing Richard for the rest of the night.

(The Next Day)

Gumball woke to silence, something that only happened when Darwin isn't there. "Darwin?" he spoke out, worriedly looking around the room for his brother. Sounds erupted from downstairs, causing Gumball to readily dress himself. Further investigation found that everyone, excluding Richard, was sitting around the television with looks ranging between doubt and wonder in their eyes.

"Um, what's going on?" Gumball asked for surely nothing that good could be on on a Saturday. On the screen was a rather fat man with a white suit along with black dress shoes and black leather gloves. One of the oddest things about the get-up was the bronze, skull shaped mask that the man donned, a creepy red smile painted on where the mouth would be. "Shhhh! Listen!" Nicole said before turning up the volume.

"Hello everyone! You can call me Bronze Mask. Now today, I have a little proposition for the good people of Elmore. When's the last time this city has felt alive? Had some fun? Cut loose? I'm sure every one of you out there can say that this city has been dull for too long! So I'm hosting a contest that anyone can participate in if they qualify. You have to cause the most chaos and become the biggest threat to this city through normal means and devices, so no super modes, or giants, or doomsday like events. You're probably wondering just what the reward could possibly be for the winner. Well you get whatever you want!"

"Whatever you want?" Every Watterson in the living room asked at once. "That's right folks! Whatever your heart desires. Money, world peace, fame, anything. And all you gotta do is win. I will announce the winner when I feel the time is right so without further ado, goodbye for now."

Everyone remained silent as the program turned off, allowing the regular television broadcast to continue. At last, Nicole spoke up. "Look kids, I know what your thinking and the answer is no. I don't care what you can have because that sounds too suspicious in my opinion and I'd rather not have you risking your lives for something that's probably a scam." As soon as she said this, the kids were in an uproar.

"But Mrs. Mom! World peace! For everyone! Or money for charity!" "Stop being stupid Darwin. We could get all the latest video games, clothes, and other stuff with that money!" Gumball greedily insisted. "It doesn't just have to be about us you selfish jerk!"

"Both of you idiots be quiet! Mom has a point." Anais yelled. Just then, Richard appeared from upstairs, rubbing his bandage-covered arms. Darwin meanwhile brushed past the man in a fury.

"What's with all the noise?" Richard asked confusedly. "Oh the kids are worried about some man saying the winner of a contest can have anything in the world."

"Oh, okay." Richard replied, sitting down on the couch. "Wait. Don't you want to try and win?" Nicole questioned. Richard just shrugged his shoulders.

"I have everything I need right here," Richard said while pointing to the couch "and here!" He finished by pulling out a bag of chips. Nicole sighed and wondered why she even bothered to ask. The man was too lazy to clean around the house, let alone win some bizarre contest.

"And sorry Gumball, you wouldn't be able to try because your still grounded." Nicole remembered, making Gumball slap his face in frustration. "Besides, I doubt anyone in this city is going to fall for something as stupid as that contest anyway." She said matter-of-factly.

(In Gumball's room)

'They just don't get it. It's not about money. It's about the world. So many people could be made happy. I must do this. For the world.' Darwin mused as he hurriedly crept downstairs, sneaking past the bickering family, to the kitchen. Looking around carefully, he pulled a secret switch which opened a trap door in the floor. A quick descent down the ladder led the fish to what appeared to be some sort of high tech armory adorned with steel walls with pictures of men with red x's over their faces and sleek weaponry that would make the military jealous.

The boy moved down the hall without giving these things a second glance though, for he had seen them enough times already. Once at the end of the hall, he gazed upon a sight that to this day still gave him nightmares. "Well, it's just one more time. But this time it's for a good cause, and I won't let it consume me again."

(Back in the living room)

"I'm sure this whole thing will blow over in a week." Nicole assured. While everyone looked skeptical, it did seem a little far-fetched that this would actually become a problem. With their minds eased, the family dispersed to their separate activities except for Richard who started sleeping on the coach.

(2 days later)

A rising, smiling sun in the distance, beautiful birdsong, and a slight chill announced the beginning of Monday. Gumball and Darwin woke up simultaneously, grinning at each other happily as thoughts of school burned bright in their heads. Normally just the sight of the school building would cause the two to groan, but things were getting weird around the neighborhood. Just yesterday, they saw a bunch of suspicious men walking about with dark trench coats and other shady articles of clothing such as gloves, balaclavas, and even face masks. These men later went on to commit a series of horrible crimes, if the constant cries of fear echoing throughout the block yesterday was anything to go by.

"Ah finally, time to go to the safety of our school Darwin. No more having to constantly look outside the windows in fear. Our hard earned tax dollars being put to good use!" "But Gumball, we don't pay taxes." Darwin ignorantly replied, forcing Gumball to face palm. Sometimes talking to Darwin was like speaking to the talking brick wall outside. Sighing in annoyance, Gumball casually strutted out of the bedroom, adopted brother in tow of course, and went to the kitchen where he found that the rest of the family was currently feasting upon a delicious breakfast consisting of pancakes and mini sausages.

"Good morning boys." Nicole pleasantly greeted. "Hey mom." They greeted in return as they took a seat at the table next to Richard. The sweet aroma of the maple syrup laced pancakes sent the hungry brothers into a crazed state, murderously devouring the breakfast with gusto. Within minutes, they finished off their meal, burping slightly as they each brought a napkin to their messy faces. After comically struggling to get out of their chairs due to the disturbingly heavy weight of their bodies.

Gumball and Darwin somehow managed to make it to the door without any further incidents. The two looked back at Anais, who was still seated at the table. Nicole hurriedly explained that Anais was being driven to school in the car. Shrugging in understanding, the boys then opened the door to finally leave the house. A quick goodbye from their mother sent the sons safely down the street to the bus stop, where a nervous Rocky, clad in his usual ABCD shirt, allowed them to get on the bus.

Boredom. Boredom is all Gumball felt throughout the school day. Although true it was a safe place to be, the school was still just about the lamest place in Elmore. The boy had barely survived history class, what with the monotonous tone of voice that Mr. Smalls employed and the man's strange talk about a new yoga program he was trying out. But now the cat was sure to fall, for he was currently in his least favorite subject: math. The teacher for the class, Mrs. Simian, was starting a lecture on the different types of triangles in geometry, making sure to watch for any signs of slacking off from the students.

"And this is an isosceles triangle, which has..." Gumball's head smacked his desk loudly, drawing the attention of the class and the ire of the ape. "And just what do you think your doing Watterson? Trying to sleep in class? Well I suppose I'll be seeing you in detention this afternoon." Mrs. Simian reprimanded. She continued her lecture from where she left off despite the constant complaints that the cat had delivered in the small time frame.

The bell rang minutes later, allowing the kids to leave for lunch. Gumball himself walked just a few steps outside before he was yanked to the side by a very familiar face. "Jamie? You can't bully me now! There's a teacher in the hall." Gumball said and sure enough, Mrs. Simian found her way outside her classroom. Normally under these types of circumstances the bully would reluctantly have to back down, but instead she grinned in delight as Mrs. Simian counted a wad of money while whistling loudly. "...Just make it quick." Gumball pleaded in defeat.

(Cafeteria)

"And then she tried to force me to join some stupid club." Gumball angrily told Darwin, who looked at the severely bandaged boy thoughtfully. "And you said no?" Darwin asked in amazement, not believing that Gumball Watterson himself did not try to capitalize on the invitation. Then again, that wasn't exactly how Gumball rolled.

"Of course not! What do you take me for?" As soon as he said this, Jamie walked past and 'accidentally' shoved Gumball's face into his lunch. "Well you kinda look like the guy that's currently enjoying his food the wrong way." Darwin observed innocently , causing frustration in the other boy. Gumball brought his head out of his food and stormed straight up to Jamie's table, where she and her 'friends' were currently chatting it up. As soon as her gaze rested on him though, he quickly ran out of the cafeteria as fast as he could. As he slowed down in the halls, he could hear three students speaking. Curiosity piqued, Gumball approached the group who he could now clearly hear.

"Let's face it dudes, I would easily win that contest. Not that I need to." That student was Tobias Wilson, self-proclaimed tough guy. He wasn't much to look at, what with his scrawny appearance. But what he lacked in physical appearance and skill he could most likely make up with money. Pay the right person and you could certainly get something made to get you an edge. With his big ego though, it wasn't likely that he'd last long.

"It would seem that I would have the highest chance of success in this contest, due to my superiority in arsenal and mental capacity compared to any of you." Bobert chimed in. He had a solid point. Just because he wasn't allowed to use his alternate form didn't mean he couldn't use his other various weapons at his disposal. Since he was a robot, he would most likely be able to calculate all sorts of different things that could lead to victory.

"Pfft! Yeah right. I'm pretty sure I could take anyone on around this city. I arm-wrestled Cthulhu and a gorilla yesterday and won so this contest should be a snap."

Clayton boldly proclaimed. He was just a ball of clay though, so nobody really believed he could do it. Despite this, Clayton had a certain look in his eyes that showed that he wasn't fooling around. At least not with the notion that he could win the contest. The arm-wrestling part was most likely a lie.

"Yeah and I have...I have...confidence?" Gumball weakly added, drawing the attention of the three. Bobert emitted a blue ray of light from his eye that showered Gumball's body briefly before disappearing. "Possibility of becoming a threat to the city: 0%" At this, Clayton and Tobias laughed out loud. Gumball, tired of dealing with the garbage, left for his next class.

A gratefully appreciated ringing of the school bell went throughout the building to signal the end of the school day. Sighing in relief, Gumball, accompanied by Darwin and Anais, walked towards the family car. "Hey, have you guys noticed anything...odd?" Anais asked. "You mean like normal odd or odd odd? Because if it's odd odd then yeah I noticed." Gumball returned. "You mean you getting beat up? Doesn't that happen all the time?" Darwin interrupted as they finally entered the car.

"Yeah but it was different this time. Kinda more public. Even when there was a teacher around." "Huh, weird. Now that you mention it, stuff is starting to get odd around here. Like those cameras that were installed yesterday." Darwin pointed out, making sure to mention the new cameras put around the city to monitor progress in the 'Bronze Mask Challenge'.

"Yeah about that...hey mom?" Gumball called, attracting his mother. "What is it Gumball?" "Isn't it technically an invasion of privacy to have all those cameras around?" Gumball asked.

"Well Gumball, the city's given it the o.k since they're only using the cameras for that contest. I'm sure that as soon as they find out no one will try to compete they'll take down the things." Nicole stated, after which Gumball silently stared out of his window and soaked in the sights.

Maybe his mother was right. This thing would all be over soon. But the more he thought about, the more Gumball felt that this was not the case.

End chapter


	2. Chapter 2: The Lessons

The Dark Knight of Elmore

Chapter 2: The Lessons

(7:46 p.m)

4 days. How could everything be turned upside down in 4 days. 4 days was all it took for things to spiral out of control. Right now Nicole watched from the kitchen as Gumball, Darwin, and Anais played cards by candlelight. Why weren't they all just watching t.v? It wasn't safe to; too much light at these hours was asking for trouble. Besides, they needed to conserve as much power as possible now.

What should have alerted everyone that something was wrong was when multiple factories started to shutdown, all due to 'gang activity'. But no, the residents laughed it off, said the business owners were paranoid, said things weren't any different. Nicole saw though, but it was too late to do anything about it at that point. Now the only reminder that she had of past employment was the rainbow badge she always wore, loosely hanging by a thread on her slightly ripped shirt.

When the factories and businesses fell, most of their workers felt the cruel reality of the slowly devolving city. Without work, most if not all of them could not support their families legally. The more morally ambiguous fell into criminal activity to keep their families alive.

Looting and home invasions were the norm now, every night a different house was hit, every night a tragic end to those unfortunate to be chosen. Many residents of the neighborhood fled to certified safe zones located near city hall in the business district to avoid the chaos. The only ones remaining outside the safe zones were either the most stubborn or craziest people in Elmore. Nicole let slip a sly little smile as she easily picked which kind of people the Wattersons were.

While she may have been too late to stop this madness, she wasn't too late to keep her family safe. Spiked Barricades, booby traps, and reinforced walls; these defenses and other nasty surprises had made the Watterson residence an unofficial dead zone for would-be looters. They tend to stay back when they see a buddy of theirs get fried by the hidden electricity trap in the front yard.

Keeping the power going was one of the first things Nicole considered during her survival assessment. She figured the pros outweighed the cons: gave the kids something to do during day, allowed them to keep up with the news, kept them from feeling like complete savages, gave a huge advantage against other people in the neighborhood, and allowed her to splurge a little and use the oven to cook something. Since her money wasn't really going towards anything else, she 'persuaded' an electrician to allow their home to continue getting power. Money talks after all, especially nowadays.

Nicole frowned as Gumball started crying from what seemed to be a paper cut. Weakness, something she just couldn't allow now. What if Gumball got into real trouble? What then? Would he even survive ten seconds? Five? Nicole padded back into the living room to confront the sniveling child. "Gumball, come with me." Nicole commanded as she led him up to his bedroom.

Once inside, Nicole instructed her son, who was still holding his finger, to sit on the floor. After he sat she followed suit as well, mentally preparing herself for what she was about to do next. "Gumball, do you remember what I told you the other day?" "You mean after dad went missing?" As soon as Gumball said this, Nicole noticeably winced as she recalled the event.

Richard had run out of chips at the time, something that the man just couldn't get over for some reason. Whether it was from sheer stupidity or a severe lack of situational awareness, Richard decided that he needed to get restocked by heading out into the city. Nicole tried to find him, but couldn't stray far from their district for fear of leaving the children defenseless.

"...Yes. I told you that you needed to be strong, both for Darwin and Anais. Your supposed to protect them." "How the heck would I do that? I'm pretty sure Darwin can handle himself!" Gumball argued in defense.

"Gumball, Darwin is a fish. Other than that he's your younger brother and as such, you should be there for him. And don't even get me started about Anais!" Nicole said once she saw the boy try to open his mouth.

"Now. How would you like to learn to protect your family?" Nicole offered, expecting an eager sign of approval.

" You mean like a ninja!" Gumball asked excitedly. "No Gumball I mean something practical." Gumball's ears drooped in disappointment. "Why not? I'm pretty sure you can teach me that kind of thing and if not just give me some kind of ninja manual." Gumball insisted, making Nicole sigh in annoyance.

"Gumball the training I've done would be too much for you right now. And for the last time, I do not have any kind of ninja manuals anywhere in my room!" Nicole shouted at the end.

"Mom, that was oddly specific." Gumball pointed out, causing Nicole to blush in embarrassment. "Your going to learn to fight."

"Eh no, I have better things to do." "Gumball, I wasn't asking." At this Nicole grasped her son from behind and put him in a sleeper hold. This was going to take awhile.

(Next day, morning)

"No no Gumball. You can't extend your arm too much! Also what is wrong with your stance! Are you trying to fight me or trying to ask me for a dance?" Judging from the constant nagging that Nicole was doing, Gumball was having a difficult potentially crazy woman had dragged him out at the earliest time possible, disturbing his sleep without care.

So far his mother taught him a few things in the front yard of the house: a basic warrior stance, basic movement, the lead punch, and the rear hand punch to name a few. Sadly, he could barely do a single one properly due to how sleepy he was. It was just a good thing that his mother was only dodging his horribly thrown attacks or Gumball would've been fed his teeth hours ago.

After one truly pitiful attempt of an attack, Nicole casually gripped the wrist of the offending arm and swept out Gumball's legs, knocking him to the ground in an instant and delivering a much needed wake-up call. "Wha...what was that!" Gumball spluttered as he slowly picked himself up, no longer feeling the debilitating effects of drowsiness. "I saw your pattern of attack and used it against you." Nicole explained, only causing further confusion.

"My pattern?" "Gumball, when your fighting someone you can't throw the same moves over and over again. Otherwise you'll create a pattern that they can exploit."

"So you mean like...if you tried to punch me with the same hand? I'd be able to know how your going to attack?" "Exactly! Well it's a bit more complicated, but you have the basics down. But don't let people trick you into thinking they have a pattern." Seeing the dumb look on the boy's face almost made Nicole scream at him. Instead she took a deep breath, remembered that Gumball didn't have the fighter's mindset yet, and got into the stance she was teaching him.

"Pay attention." Nicole swiped at Gumball with her left paw, nearly striking his jaw. Before he could try to reason with his mother she did the same attack, this time barely grazing his cheek. A third strike of the same kind never came close as Gumball let it slide right past him. No gloating could be done though because Nicole grabbed his shoulder and swept his feet out from under him again. "I think I understand what you mean now." Gumball said weakly as his mother hoisted him up while cheekily grinning.

"Yeah, that's what I mean. Now let's try countering. Almost like dodging but you immediately deliver an attack of your own when your opponent shows an opening." After the explanation Nicole slowly went through the same leg sweep she used throughout the session step-by-step, making sure that Gumball clearly understood before moving on.

"Now that you've gotten the hang of it, try it out when I attack." With a nod, Gumball relaxed into the now familiar stance. With a goofy karate movie-like cry, Nicole sent her paw flying straight towards her sons face. The repetitions of the movement, while not enough to compete with Nicole's technique, still allowed Gumball's body to instinctively perform the technique, simultaneously gripping Nicole's attacking arm and it's shoulder before sweeping her legs out from under her. Unlike Gumball though, Nicole landed on her feet and did a quick roll to the side that created a large amount of space between them.

"Good job Gumball. To be honest, I didn't expect you to learn that quickly." Nicole said pridefully. She was going to hug him until out of nowhere, a ladybug smacked Gumball's cheeks at high speed. The boy was taken out of commission immediately , howling in what seemed to be excruciating pain as he held his face. She just couldn't understand it. She had made him do certain pain conditioning excercises, such as holding his hands over an open flame, but he still reacted like this. Just why was he so...Gumball?

Then the coin dropped, the million dollar question had been answered. Nicole now knew what she had to do,and she didn't like it one bit. But to keep him safe, to ensure that he could at the very least not be afraid to take the hits that would come in their new life, she would have to do it. With head hung low, Nicole beckoned Gumball into the house

(Watterson residence, night)

Gumball looked his mother in the eyes in some vain attempt to judge what she was thinking of, already noticing a sort of sad look to her eyes. With Darwin and Anais sent to bed early, both Gumball and Nicole were left to themselves in the living room. What could she possibly want? 'Most likely going to force me to do that stupid hand near the flame thing again.' the young cat thought while subtlety rolling his eyes.

"Honey...what are you afraid of?" The question made Gumball give a puzzled look as he thought through how this could possibly be relevant. "Well I guess I'm a little afraid of spiders and bats. But that's it!" Gumball spluttered while nervously shifting his eyes to the side.

Rapid eye movement, quickened pace of voice, more than average movement of different parts of his body...this was already turning difficult. "Come on Gumball, you can tell me. I promise I won't tell a soul." Nicole persuaded. Although he still looked reluctant, Gumball decided to open up to his mother.

"I'm kinda afraid of drowning. It just looks so scary and all, and I heard it hurts a lot. Why do you want to know mom?" "Oh no reason. Hey let's go to the bathroom to do the candle conditioning huh?" Nicole suggested. While Gumball groaned in disapproval, he ultimately followed his mother to the chosen room.

Gumball noticed as they entered the bathroom that Nicole almost dragged her feet along the floor, as if exerting every ounce of willpower into basic movement. Her hands shook uneasily as she slowly turned the facet to the bathtub.

"Hey mom, why are you turning on the bath tub?" Gumball said as he continued to set up the candles that he'd use for the conditioning. "Oh...I-it's for relaxing. If you concentrate on the sound of the water, the pain won't hurt as much." Nicole barely muttered.

"Oh. That sounds great. Thanks mom!" Gumball naively said. "Annnd done! Alright! I'm ready to do this. Just gotta focus on the water." Gumball mused, ready to relinquish his hand to the flames once more.

"You know I'd do anything to protect you...right Gumball?" Nicole asked, standing directly behind her son. He snorted loudly, almost sneering at the thought of any other possibility. "Of course I do! I'd trust you with my life." Gumball explained passionately. A nice, calming hug from behind and a gentle stroking of the ears was enough confirmation for Gumball to know that his mother truly cared for him. Then she did it.

With Gumball in a vice-like grip, Nicole forcibly dunked him into the bathtub. "Mom wha..." Gumball screamed before having his head shoved right back under. He kicked and clawed from the bottom of the water, precious air escaping his lungs as he did so. Gumball flew into a pure state of panic, letting unhealthy amounts of water come into his mouth due to constant cries for help.

He shouted as loud as he could through the water as he felt the last of his oxygen finally leave him. It was when the boy felt his body cramp up due to his increased activity that he started hyperventilating from the thought of dying, in turn taking up his last reserve of air. His eyes grew heavy, the world slowly fading to black as he finally calmed down. 'Is this what dying feels like?' Gumball wondered.

Before any other thoughts could be processed, Nicole hurriedly pulled her son up from his near watery grave. She tenderly held him close to her chest as he both greedily sucked in much needed air and vomited water all over the floor. "I'm so sorry Gumball, I'm so sorry." Nicole apologized as her eyes started to water uncontrollably.

Gumball continued to breath in quick gasps as Nicole carried him back down to the living room. She made sure, as the two were comfortably on the couch, to keep him as close as possible to her. "I'm really sorry Gumball. I was just trying to make you tough." She whispered. Within minutes of her saying this, Gumball fell into a disturbed slumber.

(Morning of the next day)

Not a word was spoken at the kitchen table. Darwin and Anais silently ate their breakfast while watching the timid glances that Gumball and Nicole gave each other. The son and mother had been at this since breakfast was served, not once uttering any sort of proper greeting.

Gumball didn't dare tell a soul what happened last night; not even Darwin. Just thinking about it made him shudder. Despite the soft apologies that his mother gave him, it was clear that he hasn't gotten over the event one bit. Hardly a surprise when he was almost killed.

"Would you like some more eggs Gumball?" Nicole weakly asked, drawing Gumball's attention. He nodded politely, shying away from his mother when she came over. He could see the hurt look in her eyes, but he didn't care much as he continued the behavior.

"So...I heard that some orange-clad ninja guy was jumping across rooftops last night." Anais revealed to everyone. "Did he have blonde hair and a sunny disposition?" Darwin immediately asked, nearly making Anais pinch the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "Not that kind of ninja! I mean a guy wearing some kind of blue and orange outfit with a sword and staff on his back.

"Gee, that's great. First this stupid contest and now we have some psychopath hopping across rooftops." Nicole complained quietly.

"Gumball, can't you and Darwin try to fix this mess?" Anais asked of the two. "Well see Anais, we just can't do that. First of all we didn't cause this. Second of all, I don't want to. Third of all? I'm still grounded till the end of the month," Gumball listed off, especially emphasizing the last part to reluctantly gain his mother's support. "don't worry about it though. I'm pretty sure this will sort itself out by the end of the month anyway."

"Oh yeah? I'm pretty sure you can't last another day without playing video games." Anais smugly replied, sure that she had her brother now. "Ha! That's why they made a little something called handheld gaming devices!" Gumball exclaimed, thrusting his left palm upwards to reveal his Game Buddy. As he did so, a triumphant jingle made itself heard.

"That runs on batteries." Anais tried to argue, only to be rudely shushed by an over zealous amount of finger wagging by Gumball. "Oh I have all the batteries I could ever need." A point aimed at the couch showed that Gumball had stockpiled a large amount of batteries that were lying around the house.

Anais had to stand down since everyone seemed to be against her. She let out a sad sigh as Nicole left for the stairs, Gumball jumped up from the table and sat down in the living room to play his game, and Darwin stayed behind in the kitchen. Wait a month? Seemed like the city would turn inside out before then.

(Afterwards)

It was late at night, but Gumball Watterson didn't care. He was too focused on the screen of his Game Buddy. His fingers deftly maneuvered themselves around the device so fast that it looked like he was possessed. He laughed in glee as he passed yet another level of the game he was playing.

*Click click click* the buttons sang as he then beat the penultimate level. With wide eyes, Gumball realized that he was finally on the final level. He mentally steeled himself for the upcoming challenge.

The screen faded to black before delivering a blinding yellow light, momentarily stunning the boy. When he could see again, he gasped quietly as he looked upon the boss's intimidating figure. 'Hm, four health bars huh. This is going to be awesome.' Gumball thought as he immediately went on the attack.

He was doing quite well, already halfway through the battle. Pretty confident that he would win, he momentarily called out at the footsteps coming from the stairs. "Darwin! I'm on the final le-" Gumball excitedly told as he turned around, only to frown at the sight of Nicole in her night clothes. "Oh...it's you." Gumball muttered, silently cursing as his game character died and the words 'Game over' were boldly displayed on the screen.

"Honey, I just wanted to say goodnight to you." Nicole softly uttered as she turned to leave. "Wait!" Gumball yelled as he drew her attention once more.

"Why would you want to wish me goodnight if you hate me?" Gumball asked out of curiosity. "Gumball! Why would you think I hate you?"

"Because of the- thing you did to me. I thought you didn't love me anymore." Gumball shifted uncomfortably as he remembered the dreadful event. Nicole, seeing the distress in his eyes, let her maternal instincts take over, taking a seat right next to her son on the couch.

"Gumball...that wasn't me that night," Nicole started explaining as she inched closer. "That was a side of me I never wanted to see again."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Gumball questioned. "Let's just say that I had a teacher who did the same thing I did to you to his students." Gumball could notice the obvious unease that was settling in his mother when she said this.

"I remember that I told him I was scared of rats, the filthy things. The next day he tells me to enter some huge box for additional learning. You know what he did? He shut me in there for three hours with a whole bunch of them; no lights, no comforting words, just me and me alone." Nicole spoke.

"He'd do that everyday, didn't care what I thought about it. I'd beg on my knees just sobbing like a baby and he still put me in the cage. Over time I stopped fearing the rats a bit, even starting to like them a little. That's what I was trying to do to you Gumball, but I should have known you're too young for such a thing." Gumball let the story digest, watching his mother look down in shame. He boldly placed his hand on her knee, stunning the woman with the action.

"Mom, your teacher's a jerk," quiet snickering followed that remark. "I think I understand why you did what you did, but I don't think I can fully forgive you yet." Gumball added, receiving a knowing nod in return.

"Is there anything I can do to help make it up to you?" Nicole asked hopefully. Gumball cupped his chin thoughtfully, not really sure what to do. Then, as his eyes fell back onto his Game Buddy, a sly grin managed to stretch across his face.

"Maybe you could watch me beat this stupid boss?" "Hm," Nicole pondered. "Only if you immediately go to bed afterwards. It is your bedtime after all!" she playfully demanded.

With that the two huddled together, Nicole smiling as Gumball let out a huge groan from losing the fight again. 'Always ready to give a second chance...that's my Gumball.' Nicole happily thought as she lovingly brought Gumball's head to her chest, to which Gumball blushed up a storm. He didn't complain in the long run though because he could already feel himself growing tired. With a yawn, Gumball put his Game Buddy down and nestled completely by his mothers side. Within minutes he was asleep.


	3. Chapter 3: The Epiphany

The Dark Knight of Elmore

Chapter 3: The Epiphany

(I month later)

February...a cherished time of passion and relationships that both lovers and others can relish. A time where harmony and peace are not just words. A time to show true love. A time that no longer existed in Elmore.

Right now, in the cover of darkness, a shadowy figure watched from afar as what seemed to be a young human couple walked down a darkened alleyway. They didn't know, but a bunch of goons were sitting in ambush further down, a fact that only the wayward watchman knew.

'*Sigh*, didn't anyone tell you not to walk the streets at night? Right then. six thugs, four wielding both improvised bats and knives respectively. The way they hold their weapons...amateurs.' The man mentally calculated. The couple finally reached where the goons were, immediately being accosted. The man watching from afar didn't like playing hero, felt out of place for him, but he sighed once more as he spotted a Bronze Mask camera that overlooked the alleyway. So much for keeping a low profile.

"Heh heh, looky what we got here boys! Fresh fish." the young man ,accompanied by his girlfriend, let his eyes widen in shock as a sudden flash of pain erupted from his knees, causing them to buckle and send him falling flat on his face. The girl was grabbed and brought to the side in a bear hug by one of five burly anthropomorphic waffle that donned a ridiculous mustache.

The young man weakly, but surely, pushed himself up, only to fall once more by a hefty kick from an unknown adversary. "Agh! Why are you doing this!"the young man said, his girlfriend still screaming in the background.

A nasty, brown furred homeless man, sporting a dirty looking trench coat and a green fedora, came from behind. "Hey, me and my pals are just trying to make ends meet ya know. And you did have the dumb idea to walk down a dark alleyway at night. I mean seriously; you'd have to be asking for trouble by doing something as stupid as that.

The victim hung his head in shame. It was late, and he and his girlfriend had just watched some dumb movie. They weren't really thinking clearly by the time they left. Now their poor choice would cost them.

When one of the goons started rubbing on the girl, the young man quickly rose from his prone position, only to be whipped by a metallic device which disoriented him. When he looked closer he realized, with horror, that it was a gun.

"Now tell me, eh what's your name," "F-Frank!" "Frank. You feelin' god-damn fine? Cause I know I am." The hobo asked, gun aimed straight for Frank's head.

Without warning, a bright flash erupted from the ground to disorient all viewers. Amidst the confused cries of shock made by all parties present, a few muffled grunts could be heard accompanied by the sound of metal meeting flesh.

The homeless guy was the first to recover, gazing upon an awesome sight as he did. A blur of orange and blue swept through the crowd, expertly swinging what seemed to be some kind of metal stick at the thugs. Two of which had already been downed, both of their head areas torn off a bit.

The orange-clad figure casually leapt to the left as a heavy fist came crashing down where he used to be. The mysterious stranger then pointed his weapon at the waffle man and pressed a button on the stick, causing it to open up at the end and shoot forth a black bead that ripped straight through the assailant. The waffle man fell back with a thud, a huge chunk of his head taken off from the projectile.

Two men burst in from behind, each grabbing the arms of the stranger to allow a third to throw a sloppy haymaker towards the now identifiable masked man. With unmatched speed, the masked man pulled one of the men holding him into the haymaker. With his now free hand, the masked man swept the legs of the guy holding his other arm with his staff, and then hastily delivered two quick jabs to the remaining punk that knocked the waffle's out cold.

All thugs taken down save one, the masked man set his staff on his back once more, in favor of the menacing claymore that he also kept. He hastily advanced towards the homeless man,who by now had dropped his weapon with trembling hands as he could finally see the full details of his tormentor.

Despite his fantastic display of skill, the man was a bit small. (1.)It seemed that his mask, colored black on the left and orange on the right and proudly showing an orange headband of sorts, was attached to his long legs, which were hidden by a pair of blue tights and two orange combat boots. Wrapped around his tights was a orange gun holster, that held a black pistol of unknown make and model. His hands, that didn't seem to have many fingers, were completely covered by gloves which displayed the same color as the boots.

The homeless creature provided no resistance whatsoever though, due to what he witnessed the menace do, as the black and orange masked man threateningly lifted his sword to the scumbag's neck. "...Although you do not deserve such mercy, I spare you the agony of feeling death's stroke." The masked man said, flourishing his blade before quickly sheathing it.

"W-W-Wait! You're letting me go?" The hobo asked. "Hardly." The masked man bluntly said as he let loose a vicious right hook that knocked the hobo unconscious.

Turning around, the masked man brought his attention back on the couple, who had huddle next to a nearby wall during the scuffle. The man would've just left, had it not been for the bronze-colored camera above briefly shining red. Shaking his head, the masked man whipped out his firearm and popped off two shots next to the victims that made them cower in fright.

"You will tell all you see of what occurred here. I do not like to kill when it's unnecessary, but I make exceptions for those who displease me. And not doing what I've told you to will displease me. Now go!" He barked out.

Thanking whatever god was watching over them, the couple hurriedly shuffled out of the alleyway. As they exited onto the street, they looked back only to see no sign of the masked man.

(Watterson Residence)

Gumball yawned as he once again chanced upon the end credits of his game. It had been hard to last an entire month, especially without any other games at his disposal. But he did it, completely mastering the game, finding all the secrets, and unlocking all the things possible to unlock. Now there was nothing to do.

Darwin exited the kitchen with what looked to be a horribly made ham sandwich. "Augh finally! How long does it take to make a sandwich Darwin?" Gumball asked, tapping his foot impatiently as he now stood to confront the fish.

" I kinda forgot how to make one." Darwin sheepishly replied, eliciting a dissatisfied groan from Gumball. "Ugh, Darwin! It's not that difficult of a process. Whatever; just let me see it." The cat commanded. Darwin handed him the thing, only to immediately recoil back in shock as the lights of the house briefly flickered.

"Ah, haunted sandwich!" Gumball groaned as Darwin back flipped behind the couch, ultimately slapping his face once Darwin's eyes slid up and over the couch.

Quick thuds came from the stairs. A wet Nicole, wearing only a pink bath towel, entered and immediately squinted her eyes at the two boys. "It wasn't us Mrs. Mom! I think it was the haunted sandwich!" Darwin explained, his eyes retracting back behind the couch when Nicole picked up the said object.

"Darwin there's no such thing as a haunted sandwich," Nicole explained before turning her back. "Most likely the power's going out again..."

"What was that mom?" Gumball asked, causing Nicole to quickly turn back towards them with a smile. "Oh nothing. I just have to go take care of some business." Nicole then went back upstairs for a minute, came back down fully clothed, and left out the front door.

(Elmore Lectricity Co.)

"What do you mean $10,000! It's never been that much!" Nicole shouted, bringing her fist down hard on a nearby desk to startle the blue, husky electrician in front of her.

"Look lady the money you've been giving me before was nice and all. but things are getting riskier to do. Plus the wife's been hounding me for days." The man pleaded, flinching under the woman's gaze.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Nicole slowly counted to ten. "Okay. When do you need the money?" She asked once she finished counting.

"I'm gonna need it tomorrow." The electrician said. Nicole's mouth dropped to the floor immediately. "T-T-Tomorrow! How in the heck am I supposed to do that?" Nicole complained.

The electrician, feeling more confident now, crossed his arms knowingly. "Yep. Tomorrow or no more power." He proclaimed, afterwards wishing he hadn't due to the deadly look that the woman gave him.

"Ah hah hah! Did I say tomorrow? I uh meant a week," the electrician corrected, still receiving the look. "Look mam; I'm giving you a pretty good deal what with all the trouble going around. A week or I just can't keep this up anymore." He said.

Nicole let out a defeated sigh. At least it wasn't something ridiculous. $10,000, while a large amount for the Wattersons, was spendable. Just meant that things would have to be managed more strictly.

(Back at the Watterson residence, Night)

As Nicole was about to entered the house, a slight shiver ran down her spine, her hair stood on end, and every muscle in her being tensed up as a flickering reddish light illuminated the front window.

"No. There is no way they..." Nicole stopped mid-speech, her mouth agape and eyes widened in shock and horror once she finally went in. Anais, Gumball, and Darwin were huddled next to the living room couch, which was currently set aflame.

"Who...who did this?" Nicole said shakily. None of the kids said a word, their eyes resting on the floor. Nicole emitted a deep growl from within, the product of the many hours of worry in their lives. She stopped growling though, pinching her nose to calm herself before she did something she'd regret.

"Do you even know what was in that couch?" Still no reply came, the room dead silent from the mother's pause. "That was your electricity. That was your food! It's gone now though! Now we get to sit in the dark!" Nicole shouted. She once more calmed herself, seeing tears stream down each of the kid's faces.

"You know what? Just forget it," Nicole said quietly. "Gumball, just...hand me my dinner please." Gumball started whimpering silently, causing Nicole to frown. It was when he ran over to her and hugged her that she knew something else was wrong.

"M-Mom I-I'm so sorry!" Gumball let out, burying his face deep in his mother's shirt. "Gumball burned the fridge and the food got toasted Mrs. Mom." Darwin explained when Nicole gave him a puzzled look.

"And let me guess. We had all the food we bought in there right?" Darwin dropping his gaze told Nicole all she needed to know. "Oh great. And since the power's going out, any food we get will go bad!"

Gumball tensed when he saw Nicole lift her hand, but calmed down a bit when she simply patted his head.

"There there Gumball. Look we'll find a way to get through this. I am not letting us live like animals. We'll all find a way to get through this right?" Nicole said with a forced smile. While everyone didn't believe they could do it, they still huddled together in an awkward group hug.

"Right! I'll go upstairs and see if I can find any spare all can help by trying to find some around the house." With that Nicole went upstairs to start her search.

"I'll check the kitchen!" Darwin proclaimed as he too left the living room. "And I guess I'll check upstai..." Gumball was about to say until Anais gave him a mean look.

"What?" "It has been a month, your city is in chaos, and we are going to possibly starve," Anais listed off, getting straight up in Gumball's face in the process. "I think it's about time you DO SOMETHING!"

"What am I supposed to do? I'm only 12!" Gumball countered. "It doesn't matter Gumball. It's time for you to fight for your city." Anais said, to which Gumball laughed.

"I'm not exactly a superhero ya know." Gumball said as he pointed towards his skinny arms and legs as an argument. "Then we'll just make you a hero!" Anais said boldly.

"*sigh* You're really into this idea aren't you," Anais's stoic stature confirmed this. "then by all means; how, pray tell, are you going to make me a hero?"

"Well...I can teach you a few things. But you need some way to get stronger." Anais said as she cupped her chin thoughtfully. Gumball did the same as well, sifting through his thoughts for an idea. Then, out of nowhere, it hit him,

"I think I got that covered."

(Nicole's room)

Nicole nearly screamed in rage as she counted the fifth time of searching the closet. Not a single cent was found during either of the searches.

"Ah, alright then. Maybe under the bed?" Before she could look, Gumball entered into the room.

"Oh Gumball! Did you find anything or did you just want to see me?" Nicole said in a hopeful tone. "No, I just wanted to sit with you mom." Gumball sat in Nicole's lap, resting his head on her stomach."

"Aren't you too old for that." Nicole teased. The boy shook his head in denial. "Oh! I almost forgot. I didn't find any money, but I found something you might like." Nicole said as she got up from the bed and walked back to the closet. While doing so, she didn't notice Gumball quickly looking underneath the bed and grabbing a wad of papers and books.

As stealthily as he could, Gumball dropped the materials outside the room and returned to sit on the bed right as Nicole turned around. She gave him a rectangular object, almost like..."A comic book?" Gumball said in confusion. It's cover was that of an elderly man with goggles and a fedora, wearing what seemed to be some kind of buttoned suit with a cape fashioned onto it. It was all in gray and white, a nice contrast to the bold, red letters that simply spelled out "The Gray Ghost".

"Wasn't this some kind of old t.v show?" Gumball questioned. "It was. But it was so popular when I was your age that they decided to make make some books about it. They took too long though, and less people knew about it. By the time they released the first one almost no one knew of the Gray Ghost. And so, they only released one issue," Gumball looked down at the book thoughtfully.

"I should've sold it before all of this started; would've made a lot of money off of some collector. But Richard loved that thing with a passion, and he'd never forgive me if I just sold it." Nicole added.

" But why give it to me if it's so special?" Gumball asked. "Because I want you to remember that anybody can be a hero, no matter how big or small, as long as they try."

Gumball picked himself up off the bed, and walked towards the door with the comic book in hand. "Hey, what are you doing?" Gumball, half-way out the door, looked back and said

"Becoming a hero." At which Nicole smiled. 'I bet he's going to tear up the house looking for money now. Speaking of which...' She thought as she made sure Gumball left before jumping of the bed and heading out the window.

"I'm going to need to find some work." Nicole murmured, walking off into the night

Author's note 1: Judas Contract outfit.

additional Notes: Hello to everyone viewing this story; hope your enjoying it so far! Now I have a bit of a favor to ask of all of you. As you can see I currently have a picture of Connor Kenway representing this story and as awesome as he is, he simply isn't cutting it. "What does this have to do with us"you ask?

Well if anyone out there has or knows someone with some mad art skills, I'd like some form of art for my story. I'd be happy to spread the word of your talent if you can deliver. Please p.m me for additional details if you need any. :

.


	4. Chapter 4: The Origin

The Dark Knight of Elmore

Chapter 4: The Origin

Howdy folks! I was going to release this later, but I decided to be nice and release this new chapter now. Please enjoy.

"Are we there yet?" "Argh! For the last time no!" Anais yelled while looking back at her map. She and Gumball had left the house immediately after discovering a map hidden within the manuals Gumball had pilfered. Sadly it wasn't a map to a specific location; only showing the general area of the 'secret hideout' that was referenced.

"Can we just go home already! I mean seriously- we must have passed that cave a hundred times." Gumball pointed out, making Anais growl in anger.

"Look you idiot! We are going to find this place if it's the last thing I...wait; what cave?" Anais asked in surprise.

"You know, the one over there with the weird triangle-like symbol next to it. I thought you noticed already." Anais lifted her head to the now identifiable cave entrance, noticing that it was indeed an entrance. "This entrance was camouflaged. How did you see it?" She asked.

"You see where the rocks connect," Anais nodded, looking closely at the tightly packed rocks that surrounded the entrance. "One of them is a different type of rock. It's kinda hard to tell but it's a lighter shade of gray than the others." Gumball explained,

"Good eye. Now come on; let's see what's in here." Anais said as she, along with her brother, entered the cave.

( Cave.B)

The inside of the cave was dark. Dark enough that Gumball had to take out a flashlight from the backpack that he brought along. A slight dripping echoed throughout, creating an eerie atmosphere.

"Uh Anais...can we just leave." Gumball pleaded, receiving a hesitant 'no' in response. They continued their walk through the cave until Gumball pointed the beam of the flashlight at the ceiling out of curiosity, immediately being rewarded with a cascade of brown, furry creatures that flew towards his face.

As quick as she could, Anais turned off the flashlight and pulled Gumball to the ground by the sling of his pack. The screeching creatures flew overhead for a good few minutes before all of them had left.

"Screw this! I'm out! I am not going any further into this freaky bat cave!"Gumball yelled, his cry echoing through the cavern as he got up and took a few steps backwards. Unfortunately he tripped into some sort of hole, comically falling down a flight of stairs.

"Ooof!" Gumball groaned once he finally landed on solid ground. "Gumball! Gumball! You down there? If your still breathing, please say something!" Anais called down. "Ugh..."

"Oh, okay! I'm coming down!" It took a few seconds for Anais to climb down, giving Gumball enough time to slightly recover.

"Why don't you make yourself useful and look for a light switch." At this Anais frowned. "What makes you think there's a switch? And even if there was one, I don't think..."

"Found it!" Gumball said in a sing-song voice. Bright, blue lights came seemingly out of nowhere to blind the two. When they uncovered their eyes, they marveled at the sight before them.

It was pretty spacious; large enough to hold a mini-mart and still have some space left over. A bunch of rudimentary training equipment was littered about the place: Tight ropes, rock weight sets, wooden pull-up bars you name it. In the farthest corners were naturally raised platforms big enough to hold six cars each. And from the slight dripping going on throughout the cave, it seemed that there was water somewhere.

In the center of it all was three black and orange generators with wires that crawled from the floor to the walls of the cave. They were currently emitting a low hum as they vibrated in place.

"Alright, let's get started." Anais said as she fumbled around in Gumball's pack until she found the manuals. "Okay. For your first excercises you have to...what?" Anais's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Oh come on; it can't be that bad." Gumball reasoned, sitting down on a nearby wooden crate. "150 push-ups, 150 sit-ups, 50 pull-ups..." Gumball melted like ice cream as the list went on " and 150 squats! How the heck is that just the basics! Gumball, there's no way you can do this stuff!"Anais told, her eyes still glancing nervously at the beginner's manual.

Gumball solidified, sending a determined look in Anais's direction. "I can do this. I have to." He calmly delivered. "But this stuff is too strenuous, you'd most likely-" "Shh. It's alright little sis; I can handle it." Gumball reassured, his hand placed on the girl's shoulder while giving a faint smile.

(1 hour later)

"Oh god!" A girlish scream echoed throughout the cave. Anais, casually sitting on a generator and flipping through a book, sighed disappointedly as she saw the crumpled figure on the floor underneath a pull-up bar.

"How many?" "...Two." Gumball replied, still face-first in the ground. "Argh! This is stupid! Let's just start with something else for now." Anais said unhappily, bringing out a chemistry book.

"Can't we just do a training montage or something?" Anais cocked her head to the side, cupping her chin while doing so. "That depends; do you like 80's music?"

(C. Same night.C)

Nicole walked into an ordinary alleyway that once was blocked off by a steel gate, which now laid out in tiny fragments on the ground. A few minutes of interrogation, speaking to different people, and overall being a nuisance granted Nicole info of a possible job. One that she might be able sink her claws into.

In the tight space of the alley was an assortment of trash huddled together to hide a door of some sort. A bright purple neon sign shaped like a woman directly above it read 'Hot and Wild Women!'. "Looks like the place alright." Nicole muttered, her nose wrinkling as she pushed the garbage blocking the obvious entrance aside. "For the love of..." Nicole breathed as she stared at a lewd drawing etched onto the door.

Upon entrance, Nicole could tell two things: she was really going to hate the man she needed to speak to and she was most likely going to tear the establishment down once her business was done.

The place was a dancer's den, an underground gentlemen's club if you will. To Nicole's left was an electric blue stage that sat against the wall and blended nicely with the dark purple pattern scheme. Multiple glass tables and fuzzy chairs were spread out to try and create a fancy atmosphere, but it looked out of place what with the eye-straining strobe lights that flickered manically and the unruly manner of the customers themselves.

There was currently a big block-shaped woman, dark pink in color, clad in tight brown shorts and a yellow tank-top dancing on-stage to the calls of the men watching her performance. Not in any way good at her dancing, but the men were drunk so it didn't really matter.

To Nicole's right was where she wanted to be. A makeshift bar of sorts, surrounded on three sides by cheap, waist-height wood, and the wall itself, stood erect right next to a red door which was guarded by a muscular vanilla muffin with candy cane-like legs and no arms.

Nicole counted to ten as she walked over to the bar, emitting a low growl and skipping numbers as a particularly drunk customer bumped into her.

She managed to make it in front of the muffin man without any trouble, a feat she'd have to congratulate herself on later. The man loomed over Nicole like a tower, as if the sunglasses he wore didn't allow him to see her. "Mhm!" Nicole coughed, gaining the attention of the muffin man.

"You got businesses with the bosses?" Muffin Man strangely spoke as he gave Nicole a look over. "Um yes. I'd like to speak to him about possible employment." As she explained, Muffin Man looked her over once more. Finally he stepped to the side, opening the door for Nicole in the process. Once inside, Nicole noticed the door silently close behind her.

The room...was not what she was expecting from an establishment such as this. A vibrant yellow-red pattern covered the walls, which had paintings of various singers adorning them. A plain mahogany desk and chair sat in the left corner, a large wardrobe resting near. In the middle of the room was a coffee table, that currently had two white china cups on it, which was surrounded by three white couches that sat in a triangular fashion. Nicole was currently standing behind one of the couches, getting a good view of the back of what seemed to be a man-sized turtle's head.

"So are you going to sit down or are you waiting for an invitation?" A smooth but deep jazzy voice called, causing Nicole to jump. "How did you hear me!" She asked, seeing as she barely made a sound upon entrance.

Without turning, the turtle man said "I hear everything mam, but I gotta admit; you got some quiet paws. Now how about you come sit down so we can discuss exactly why you're here." Nicole obliged, squeezing in between the triangle of couches so that she sat 45 degrees to the right of the calm turtle.

He seemed to be around Nicole's height, maybe even being an inch taller. He looked like any regular sea turtle to be honest; not much attracting attention other than his cartoonish eyes, spy-film inspired tuxedo,and now noticeable brown mustache. In his lap was a normal sized turtle that looked exactly like him, save for the addition of a fancy top hat.

" Now that we can get down to professional greetings, allow me to introduce myself. The name's Wesley, Wesley Shell." The man greeted, giving Nicole a surprisingly firm hand shake.

"Er-Nicole. Nicole Watterson." She replied. "I came for work; I need $10,000 by Friday." Wesley whistled loudly, sitting back and cupping his hand underneath his chin.

"Eh not to insult you mam, you're a very fine woman, but even with your looks, I don't think you'd make that much from a week of dancing." To this Nicole noticeably blushed, crossing her legs and covering them with her paws. "No no no no no no! Not that kind of work! I've heard of your...other business."

Wesley cocked his head to the side, only repositioning it when Nicole kept silent. "So...you're lookin' for that kind of work are you? Very well then," Wesley let out as he stood from his couch. "In fact, your kind of a godsend Mrs. Watterson. In my recent...activities, I've had a bit of a problem," the turtle walked in a circle around the couches as he spoke.

"In the business district of Elmore, there's a man by the name of Tony Kashino, a local smuggler, with an impressive sum of money in his possession that he's had pilfered from some of good folk in the residential district that need it. I've sent several men..." Wesley stopped his walk, his arms folded behind his back.

"But none of them have come back. Kashino's guards made quick work of them no doubt. Man's always had a decent security detail." "And what makes you think I can do what your men couldn't?" Nicole interrupted, receiving a smile in return.

"Vance has great security, but it's got one flaw I've found recently. The rich always love to flaunt their wealth and Kashino's no exception. Each Thursday he hosts a large party at his Tower of Power, attracting all sorts of filth to sit back and enjoy themselves with the hard-earned cash of the people that are happy to still have jobs. At this party he shows all sorts of entertainment: illegal fist fights, poker,...and women." At 'women' Wesley stared at Nicole.

"Wait what!" "Kashino's got a secret vault that he keeps his credentials in that would allow me to take out the money from his banking accounts and ruin him. If you can get close to him..." "I'm sorry Mr. Shell but this is ludicrous! I'm a married woman with three children and you expect me to act like some common whore? Have a nice day." Nicole shouted before storming to the door.

"Well that's unfortunate Mrs. Watterson; I heard cats like cream." "What do you mean by that?" Nicole asked, turning to face Wesley once more.

"I understand this apparently doesn't sit well with your morales so how about this; upon completion of the job I'll give you your $10,000 and a $10,000 bonus. Deal?"

Nicole paused, her eyes closed as she shakily fiddled with her fingers and remembered about the kids. "So what do I do?"

Wesley smiled once more upon hearing Nicole's confirmation. " Kashino has an odd taste for both anything furry and whips if you get my drift. You'll be disguising yourself as his entertainment so you can get close enough to him to find out the location of the vault. You don't have to do anything with him; just find the vault." Wesley then went to and reached into the wardrobe in the corner, drawing out a bull whip and a black, rolled up bundle.

"You'll be wearing this for your little night out at town." Wesley unrolled the black bundle, immediately causing Nicole to recoil in disgust. "You can't be serious." Nicole said in revulsion.

"Here just put it on right quick; you may look the part, but I still gotta teach you how to act the part. Luckily we got a few days to make you into something that son of a bitch won't see coming."

"Language!" Nicole screamed to the surprise of Wesley. " Oh, sorry; my family doesn't use that kind of language in the house." Wesley merely nodded in understanding, switching his attention back to the bundle in his hands.

"Alright then. For the job, first you'll want to..."

(B.4 days later, Thursday night.B)

Gumball, sweating profusely in a worn out wife beater and a pair of navy blue sweatpants, slowly leaped off the pull-up bar he was using. Anais stood nearby, a wide smile on her face as she wrote something down in a little notebook she held.

"75 pull-ups, 200 sit-ups, 200 push-ups, and 50 pole swings is your new record! The rate you've improved is just...amazing," Anais praised while Gumball started breakdancing in the background. "I mean seriously; it's as if you're actually driven to action." Gumball finished his dance by doing a 360 spin. "I think your ready for your first night."

Anais whipped out a black package from seemingly nowhere, along with a leather messenger bag. Confused, Gumball took hold of the bundle and rolled it out, revealing it to be a simple stereotypical ninja costume with a black hood and face mask attached. A scarf trailed behind onto the floor, further emphasizing the cool factor of the costume.

( night, Elmore Gas Station.B)

"Ugghhh! Why am I even here? Doesn't the boss understand that nobody in their right mind is going to come here nowadays?" A familiar man with a rock for a head quietly complained as he gave the store another look over.

Snacks were untouched...Soda machine looked to be working fine since yesterday...Yep, Everything was in order unfortunately. With nothing to do, Larry supported his leaning figure with a hand underneath his chin.

*Ding* Larry shot up and straightened himself as the automatic doors opened, a quickly formed smile on his face. "Hi. May I help y-" "Yeah you can help me. Help give me yer money!" The color drained from Larry's face as he was staring down the menacing handle of a wooden spoon.

"Holy crap!" Larry exclaimed as he immediately placed his hands in the air, but not without subtly pressing the panic button underneath the counter.

"Alright now I want 300 dollars or I'm gunna beat you like a punching bag little girl!" Larry flinched as the assailant brought his weapon down on the counter. *Ding* Both men looked back at the automatic doors, one out of hope and one out of confusion. But they were both disappointed in some way or another once they saw the cause of the distraction.

"Hey I didn't know it was Halloween." The robber said as he sized up the...well small ninja. A hood covered the ninja's eyes, along with a black balaclava to cover his mouth. The ninja's skin, as well as a tail, could still be seen though, shown to be gray and fur-like.

"Beat it kid, or your next." "Sal Left Thumb, wanted for petty theft, breaking and entering, and grand theft pony, I'm taking you down!" The ninja cried out, charging directly at said individual. But the ninja tripped over one of the scarves that trailed behind him, turning him into a missile instead. Sal simply stepped to the side, letting the ninja collide head first into the counter.

"Ergh! I was just stretching my legs!" The ninja yelled, still slightly dazed, as he flew into a flying kick that managed to graze Sal's shoulder. Unfortunately the ninja was moving too fast afterwards to avoid a stacked pile of cans.

Sal, after running to the register, punching Larry in the face, and stealing the cash inside, waltzed right out of the gas station as the unidentified ninja groaned from underneath the pile of cans.

"You klutz! I just stacked those 10 minutes ago." Larry whined from behind the counter. Luckily it was a late night, so his boss wouldn't be around yet to see the damage to the store.

Sirens wailed outside, signaling to the ninja that it was time to escape. He awkwardly fumbled around in the bag on his back until he held three metallic balls in his hands. He proceeded to throw them down, right as the first policeman came in, to cause a cloud of smoke to appear. Once the smoke was gone, he was no longer present.

( Cave, Later.B)

"I swear Gumball; sometimes I think you're a special type of moron." Anais groaned as she used a wet cloth to clean the sticky blood from her brother's head. Just hearing his story almost gave the girl a migraine, listening about how reckless he was. Gumball, with hood pulled back, simply stared straight forward with a void gaze.

"Anais...I need you to make me something scary to wear." Anais momentarily stopped brushing, her mouth already forming a frown. "Scary?"

"Yeah, scary. Sal and Larry just thought I was some stupid kid. I want people to see me as an awesome hero, not some Party City reject. And another thing; I need it to be armored and allow me to access my tools more quickly. It took me like 2 friggin' minutes just to pull out my smoke bombs. Also my outfit is way too tight. I feel so restricted in this thing that I can't even fight as well as I should. And no stupid scarves! Geez if your going to give me something to flow behind me, make it a cape."

All of this went into Anais's head as she quickly brought out a sketch pad and pen. A few strokes here and there gave her a rough image of what she was thinking, but she was missing a few things.

"How long did it take you to get to the crime." Anais asked. "Eh I'd say roughly...30 minutes? 25 minutes tops."

"30 minutes! What the h...never mind. Look I got a basic sketch here of what your outfit will look like, but it's just that; basic! You don't want to be just some random guy kicking butt; you want to be a symbol. Someone who will bring fear into the hearts of any mortal. You need a motif as well so people can recognize you sooner." Anais spoke, tapping her foot on the ground in some attempt to conjure up an idea.

The two rattled off some of the most ridiculous ideas that man has ever conceived. Gumball almost gave up when Anais suggested 'The Blur' along with a silly idea for a red themed costume. But right as Gumball threw his hands to the air, shouting at the ceiling in rage, one lone bat flew down and past the two kids screeching.

For Gumball it was just a momentary set-back, allowing him to curse the creature before going back to thinking of a name. For Anais...it was a lifetime. It was just something about how sudden the attack was, the unpredictable nature of it making Anais's heart pound restlessly. This was pure fear and she knew it. A sweet, beautiful, amazing fear that let Anais tap into her inner consciousness and gain the most brilliant of insights.

"Now maybe we can call myself the-what the heck!" Gumball complained as Anais shoved him aside in favor of her sketch pad. She ignored all of his words, her breathing loud and heavy as she commanded her pen to scratch the paper in a way it never had before. She started to giggle crazily, causing Gumball to back up in silence.

At last she stopped, ripping off a piece of paper with writing on it. "Boy...go fetch these supplies! I don't care where you get them." Anais snapped. Gumball, not wanting to piss off the seemingly unhinged little girl, went to go do as she told.

An hour passed as Anais scribbled furiously into her pad, all sorts of weird drawings starting to appear on the pages. She smiled widely as she heard a noticeable clanging coming from the stairs to the cave.

"Hey I got the stuff you wanted. You wouldn't believe what I had to do to get it: I had to sneak into the hardware store, beat up some guys near a tower, and get whooped by some chick named Catwoman. I can't even sit right now to be honest."

"I couldn't care less. Leave that stuff and your backpack with me. Don't come back for two to three days." Anais growled as she began moving the things to a table she erected.

"Look I'm not waiting until harvest moon for some stupid-" but Gumball stopped speaking when Anais turned around.

"Right! Three days it is boss!" Gumball said with a salute, running out while he still had a chance to live.

(C. 30 minutes earlier.C)

Nicole stretched uncomfortably in her newest attire, remaining hidden in a dark maintenance closet. She wore a glossy, black dominatrix suit, rips and stitches apparent all over the outfit. The mask she wore, which was stitched on from the back, had five holes: two for her ears, two for her eyes, and one oval-shaped one for her mouth.

She flicked her tail, which had its own hole to come out of, in disgust as she was once again reminded of the black paint she applied to her fur. The paint was barely a problem to her compared to the outfit itself though, what with how it made certain areas of her body more prominent.

"Wesley I can barely feel myself, this thing's so tight!." Nicole angrily whispered into a carefully placed radio. " Well if ya like, we can easily go buy another outfit and get it perfectly fit for you! Now please cut the crap! Have you infiltrated the building?"

"Yeah yeah; got in without a trace. Can you pull up the building's schematics? I'm in some kind of janitor's closet."

"One step ahead of you girl...You're currently located in the maintenance closet on the 5th floor of the tower. You should be right around the corner of Tony's room!" Wesley excitedly explained as Nicole ventured outside of her hiding place.

She slowly crept on the hard wooden floors, groaning in annoyance as she looked around the narrow hallway. "Geez, this guy has a pretty big ego Wesley." Nicole whispered to her only support, crouching and leaning against a wall as a tough looking zombie with a typical suit and sunglasses strolled past without noticing her.

"What; you mean the fact that he has a big tower made to look like a T?" "No, I mean all these ugly pictures of him that he has hung up in the hallway." Nicole grinned when she heard stifled laughter in her radio.

"Joking aside though, I'm at his room." She told her handler, fiddling in her belt for a pick and tension wrench. She began to pick the lock of the door, tuning into the feel of it. She was just starting to pick the last three pins when footsteps alerted Nicole to the presence of someone. And that someone seemed to be coming right around the corner.

'Continue or hide...continue of hide...continue or hide! Come on Nicole, snap out of it!' Nicole angrily thought to herself as she felt a more than familiar freezing of the joints, her hands struggling to hold the tools inside of them. It's been way too long to just get back into this kind of thing without expecting a few problems.

Finally her eyes widened as she instinctively placed her things back into their pouch and turned around, right on time as a dollar bill with a gold chain walked around the corner.

"Whoa whoa whoa! What the fuck are you doing here!" The dollar bill man, with wide eyes, questioned, pointing a gun directly at Nicole's head.

"I'm so sorry sir. I was sent up because I was told that you liked surprises. My apologies for being such a bad kitty." Nicole said seductively, turning to the side and raising her tail while holding a hand to her chest.

The dollar bill man relaxed, even smiling a bit as he lowered his gun. "Hey hey bebe! No need ta fret. Tony Kashino loves his surprises!" Tony said, walking past Nicole, putting a key into the door, and gesturing for her to come in once he had opened up the room.

When Nicole walked in, she had to control every little fiber of her being not to kill Tony on the spot for giving her an 'accidental' tap on her behind as he too walked in. 'You...will...die.' Nicole thought, the many ways of killing Kashino filling her head.

"Alrighty! Whatcha got for me my little pussycat?" Tony asked, laying back in a nearby sofa. Nicole rolled her eyes as subtly as she could. She'd kill him right now if it wasn't for her mission. Muttering about a million curses under her breath, Nicole once again slipped back into her cover.

"That depends sir, what would you like me to do?" She cooed. "You got a whip?" Nicole, still struggling, reached back and collected her whip from her belt. She let it hang from her side, telling Kashino all he wanted to know.

"Yeah! My kitty is decked out! Alright pussycat; show me what you got." Nicole relinquished a silent sigh as she brought the whip around her, the thing a coiled snake in her hands as she manipulated it.

Kashino licked his lips upon seeing Nicole's whip seemingly snake up her body. "Yeah bebe! Ahaha!" He laughed as Nicole started sexily crawling toward him with whip in hand, a smile plastered on her face.

Kashino's cries of joy quickly turned to cries of pain as, too fast to be seen normally, Nicole leaped upwards and slashed a corner of the man's head off with her whip.

"Aww, I thought you loved it when women did that," Nicole said, sounding calm yet at the same time pissed. "You like that don't you!" Nicole repeatedly slashed at Kashino, his screams going throughout the room as the woman continued her assault.

"Eat your fucking heart out Kashino!" Nicole yelled, satisfied with the sobbing individual that now laid on the floor in pieces. She gave the room a quick look and noticed, in disappointment, a lone key card on the table.

"Alright Kashino, where's your vault! And you better tell me, or I'll let you meet my friend again." Nicole threatened, slamming her weapon next to one of the pieces that Kashino's eyes were on.

"It's in the stupid janitor's closet on this floor! Please don't kill me." Kashino pleaded, getting a stomp in reply.

"...Nicole?" The woman jumped as a voice played in her ear. "Oh, Wesley! Almost forgot about you. I just finished with Kashino. The disgusting prick said that the stupid vault is in the same closet that I entered from." She explained as she walked outside.

"Did you kill him?" Wesley asked as Nicole reached the closet. "Did...you...kill...him!" Wesley repeated as she located the key reader hidden in the closet. The vault opened up and lo and behold, a bundle of documents rested on a platform of sorts.

"*sigh* No. I didn't kill him. I should have though; he had no right touching me the way he did. Only one person gets that right" Nicole said as she found a window to jump out of.

"Naw girl. That's what separates you from your typical thug. You got restraint." Nicole's mouth tilted upwards at this as she climbed down the tower.

Once she was able to, Nicole leaped off onto an adjacent building without noticing a few figures behind her. "Check it out guys! It's some kinda cat woman!" Nicole rolled her eyes upon turning around. Four horny goons on a random building...just her kind of luck.

"Maybe you boys should run and hide." Nicole taunted, flicking her whip out threateningly. Nobody made a move though as another figure leaped up onto the roof.

"I agree." the now identified small ninja piped up. "Great! It's just a city a freaks now, ain't it! Get em boys!"

Two for each was the special for tonight as Nicole started her duel with the two goons that were unfortunate enough to single her out as an easier target. One tried a jab, the other went for a low kick, and they both left with a headache as Nicole deftly leapt to the side before coming back with a butterfly kick to the head for both of them.

Her mystery ally seemed to be doing pretty well, Nicole seeing one of the thugs already down and the other one just now getting knocked out by a well-placed elbow strike.

"You're a criminal!" The ninja asked as he now drew his attention towards Nicole, genuinely surprising her. "What gave it away?"

"You have that look about you. I'm taking you down!" The ninja screamed, charging head first at Nicole. She moved slightly to the side and grabbed the ninja's scarves as he passed, pulling him onto her lap and holding him in place.

"Hey what are you-ow!" The ninja squealed as Nicole smacked her whip down onto his behind.

"Children should not be running around on school nights picking fights with people! Do you even know what could happen to you!" She yelled as she proceeded to whip the child senseless.

"I can't believe your mother would even allow something like this," Nicole yelled, eliciting another howl of pain from the boy through another smack. "She must be worried sick about you; wondering if her little boy is dead somewhere!" A rather hefty smack came this time, causing the ninja to arch his back and scream to the heavens.

"Please stop!" "Oh no! I'm not stopping until you learn your lesson!" Nicole said loudly. Three consecutive blows came that made the ninja sob noisily.

" Now will you be doing this kind of thing again!" "N-N-No! I-I swear to god no!" The ninja cried, allowing Nicole to pull down his hood and bring him to eye level. She momentarily paused, seeing the resemblance of this boy and her own son, but shook herself out of the thought when she saw that this boy had gray-black fur and green irises.

"I'm sorry I did this to you, I really am. It's just that I'm sure your mother wouldn't want anything to happen to you." Nicole soothed, bringing the still crying child into her chest. This lasted a few minutes, giving Nicole time to think.

"Now go back home! And if you do this type of thing again, I'll beat you so hard you won't know the difference between sitting down and standing up." Nicole warned, making the ninja hurriedly leap off the building onto another one.

"Geez Nicole; first Kashino, now a kid? Am I next?" Wesley interrupted through the radio.

"No Wesley. That boy looked so much like my own son that it scared me. I mean what kind of horrible woman lets her children do that kind of thing. Some mothers are so irresponsible." Nicole complained as she high tailed it back to Wesley's place. Time to get paid and go check on the kids.

(The Cave, Three days later, nighttime)

Gumball walked into the cave that night feeling swanky with the new backpack and pants Nicole had bought the other day. It was a little suspicious how she got everyone some stuff and got the power back on in the house, but Gumball didn't really give it any mind

"Yo Anais! You missed out! We got some fancy sundaes in the business district. I ate yours, but ya kind of owe me for forcing me to lie about where you were for so long." Gumball greeted once he saw his sister standing at the bottom of the stairs. A black, metallic door blocked off entrance to the Cave.

She spoke not a word, instead opting to just grin ear-to-ear. "Okay now your just creeping me out."

"Well I just wanted you to open your new hideout Gumball." Anais gleefully insisted, pointing towards a tiny fingerprint scanner on the wall. "Sweet!" Gumball exclaimed, slapping his hand forward in an instant. Upon the door sliding open, Gumball's jaw dropped open too at the marvelous sight before him.

There was simply too much to take in at once. Two of the three platforms deeper in the cave now held canvases over them, indicating that future projects were being made. The main floor was a hub of technological gizmos and tables of chemistry sets, spare computers, and gadgets.

The training equipment was still around, albeit a bit more black and gray than Gumball remembered. Anais was even able to add a combat training area with dummies inside on the third platform in the distance.

But these were not what immediately caught Gumball's attention. No, what caught his attention was the massive computer in the middle of the cave and a set of six cylinders beside it covered in black cloth.

"Welcome to the Batcave." Anais said pridefully, letting Gumball soak in the sights. "Can the computer play solitaire?" Gumball asked to Anais's dismay.

"Yes the Batcomputer can play solitaire, along with doing its other functions. Now let me show you all the things you'll be using in the field for right now." Anais said, leading Gumball to a nearby table.

"These," Anais nodded towards a set of three bat-shaped boomerangs perfectly shaped for Gumball's hands. "are your batarangs. They are foldable projectiles that can be used to non-lethally engage your opponents. I was going to keep them as just metal, but I had to find a way to add a strip of rubber to them to decrease their lethality."

"This," Anais motioned towards an odd, black gun of sorts with a hook at the end. "Is your grapnel gun. It's has a powerful magnet that can be turned on and off, so it will clip onto your belt when you need it to stay put and quickly release if you need it in a jam.

"These are your new and improved smoke pellets. Twice as small as the ones you used before, and twice as effective. One should do what three of your original ones could do.

"My Game Buddy!" Gumball remarked in horror as he saw his toy now sat on the table, it's buttons removed or re-configured to make space for the two sticks that now took up the separate sides.

"Yeah that used to be your Game Buddy, but now it's a cryptographic sequencer. You can use that to hack into different computers and devices.

Despite his grief over the loss of his gaming system, Gumball had to admit that all of this was pretty awesome. There was one thing missing though...

"Where's my new outfit?" Gumball asked, to which Anais grinned once more. "If you thought this stuff was cool, then your gonna love your suit. After leading Gumball back to the cloth-covered cylinders, Anais dramatically put her hands on the fabric. Once Gumball gave her the go-ahead, Anais energetically pulled off the veil.

Gumball nearly died from the feelings he was getting from the suit. It was...astonishing to say the least. A dark gray, almost black in color, made up the main color of the suit, a neat black trim for support.

The boots were black and armored down to a t, looking more like a robot's feet than something a person would slip their own feet into. The pants, held up by a gray utility belt, too were armored, a bit less than the boots with the way the armor pieces showed a little black mesh of sorts in between. The gauntlets were high-tech looking, a computer located on the right gauntlet. That didn't decrease the effect of menacing fins found on the side of both gauntlets though.

The main body area was most likely the most armored part of the suit, with the six-pack looking armor sticking out. The chest area looked thick, allowing the symbol of a bat to show prominently. And just now Gumball noticed the black, scalloped cape attached to the cowl.

What truly displayed Anais's craft was the cowl itself. The cowl had two short, spiky ears coming out the top, emphasizing the sinister scowl that the mask had. Two slanted eyeholes, a pointed nose, and a wide semi-circular mouth hole was all that made up the cowl's physical appearance. The subtle lines and indentations made into the thing made up for the simplicity of it over all.

"I'll give you a quick report on the suit's functions. First off, the boots are magnetic and will add some much needed height to you so that you gain a few inches. The mesh underneath the suit itself is advanced Kevlar soaked in a formula I've been concocting, allowing you to hypothetically speaking take a few rounds of small arms fire. The gauntlets are tough enough to take blows from melee weapons, but their primary use is the computer located on the right gauntlet. The utility belt, when attempted to be removed, will shock the guy trying to take it enough to incapacitate him."

"The cowl is partially bullet-proof and has a wireless communicator built into one of the also has a vision mode that I can turn on from the Batcave that allows you to see in the dark, see and identify chemicals in the air, and kind of see through walls.

"The cape is fire-proof, also partially bullet-proof, and will allow you to glide. This stuff in the cape is made of-"

"Wait. You mean like flying!" Gumball interrupted. "No, I mean glide. But hypothetically speaking if you use your grapnel gun in conjunction with your cape, you should be able to stay in the air for an indefinite amount of time. Or as long as your not too tired."

"Can I put it on!" Gumball asked giddily, squealing like a schoolgirl when Anais nodded her head.

"Gumball you are now something different..." The armored pants came first, followed by the boots which were locked into place.

"You are a symbol of hope and justice to the innocent, but the living embodiment of fear for criminals..." Next came the body piece, which at first was a little difficult to put on, but was ultimately taken care of alongside the gauntlets.

Finally came the cowl, which fit so snugly that Gumball thought nothing of the fact that his ears were in such a confined space. His tail was lying in a concealed area in the back of the suit to keep it from view. His chin stuck out, but it was fine by him seeing as it didn't hurt at all.

"You are...Batman." Anais finished, Gumball raising his cowled head in time to his newly dubbed name. Before he could speak, a sharp pain went throughout his head that brought Gumball to his knees.

"Gumball what's wrong!" Anais asked fearfully, running to his side. "Hehe, nothing little sis. Probably got a little headache from the awesomeness of this suit. Now that I think of it though; I can't even remember what caused my headache." Gumball said in confusion.

"Well If you forgot that quickly then I'm sure it's not important. Now come on; you gotta get familiar with your new tools."

end of chapter

And there we go. Gumball is now Batman and the story can finally pick up! I've been waiting for this moment forever. But all good things come to those who wait I suppose. I'm still looking for some kind of cover art if anyone's interested. Also I'd like you guy's opinion on something. If Carrie Krueger was to be any DC hero or heroine, who would she be? Personally I'd make her a female version of the Spectre, but I'll take any suggestions.

As always, if you got questions pertaining to the story you can P.M me. Review if you'd like, it's always nice to see some support and even constructive criticism to help this story become something special. Stay frosty!


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